John Nichols: The Ambitious Delusions of George Bush and David Petraeus

[marmar]

from The Nation:



BLOG | Posted 09/13/2007 @ 10:42pm
The Ambitious Delusions of George Bush and David Petraeus



We now learn that General David Petraeus fancies himself a Dwight Eisenhower for the 21st century.

According to a report in London's Independent newspaper by the reliable Middle East observer Patrick Cockburn, the U.S. military viceroy in Iraq would like very much to return from his mission and -- like the Supreme Commander of Allied forces in Europe during World War II and of North Atlantic Treaty Organization in its aftermath -- mount a bid for the White House.

Petraeus has apparently been so open in expressing his "long-term interest in running for the US presidency" that Sabah Khadim, a former senior adviser at Iraq's Interior Ministry who worked closely with the general in Baghdad, recalls, "I asked him if he was planning to run in 2008 and he said, 'No, that would be too soon'."

Such are the political calculations of the man whose embrace of President Bush's war has become so complete that he and his aides have radically altered the manner in which statistics are gathered on violence in Iraq in order to foster the fantasy that the fight has taken a turn for the better.

"General Petraeus has a reputation in the US Army for being a man of great ambition. If he succeeds in reversing America's apparent failure in Iraq, he would be a natural candidate for the White House in the presidential election in 2012," explains Cockburn. "His able defense of the 'surge' in US troop numbers in Iraq as a success before Congress this week has made him the best-known soldier in America. An articulate, intelligent and energetic man, he has always shown skill in managing the media."

The problem, of course, is that Petraeus's "open interest in the presidency" might, Cockburn suggests, "lead critics to suggest that his own political ambitions have influenced him in putting an optimistic gloss on the US military position in Iraq " ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=232774

[Cha]

1. Whoa! Who knew?

We could tell betrayus has delusions of grandeur but the US pres?..yeah, I guess he figures if his boss, the chimp, can do it then he could, too.

Especially with all that blood on his hands.

Thanks for this from John Nichols!

[cliss]

2. Yeah, well his career just took a nosedive ~

When he said the words, "I don't know" and looked down.**



**This was in the hearing, when Sen. Warner asked Betray-Us if we were safer because of Iraq.